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The general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by the conference’s solicitor and assistant general counsel, called upon the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to revise its proposed revisions to coal-ash regulations.

“The USCCB respectfully urges the EPA to ensure that the flexible approach envisioned by the proposed rule does not come at the expense of the most vulnerable or the integrity of the environment,” the attorneys wrote in their public comments, dated June 8 and posted on the bishops’ website on June 15. “Where the EPA’s proposed rule increases the probability of harm to the common good or to the environment, the EPA should at a minimum retain the relevant restrictions until it fashions new rules that will not unjustifiably increase risk.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in Pope Leo’s name to the Bishop Nazareno Marconi of Macerata, Italy, the starting point of the 48th annual 17-mile walking pilgrimage to Loreto.

“Pope Leo is pleased to send his warm greetings to all those taking part in the walking pilgrimage from Macerata to the Holy House of Loreto, urging them to grow in their journey of following Jesus and to be missionaries of the Gospel, especially in the face of the material and spiritual poverty of our times,” Cardinal Parolin wrote.

The pilgrimage, which attracts thousands each year, is organized by the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation. This year’s pilgrimage, which began on June 13 and concluded the following day, included a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general of Rome.

Responding to a letter, Pope Leo denounced “those who dare to associate God’s name with acts of war.”

God’s name is “profaned by the will to dominate, by arrogance, and by discrimination; above all, it must never be invoked to justify choices and actions that bring death,” Pope Leo wrote in the June issue of Piazza San Pietro, the magazine of St. Peter’s Basilica. “Unfortunately, this temptation to profane God’s name affects even those who profess to be Christians.”

The words of faith should not be dragged “into political conflict,” or used “to bless nationalism and religiously justify violence and armed struggle,” the Pope added.

The Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, and the Pregnancy Care Center of Rockford appealed a federal district court’s dismissal of their challenge to an Illinois law that bans “discrimination on the basis of reproductive health decisions in employment.”

The law thus compels Catholic and pro-life organizations to retain employees who have abortions.

“Our employees represent the diocese and are expected to uphold our standards of conduct to ensure they align with the doctrine and moral teaching of the Catholic Church,” said Bishop Thomas Paprocki. “However, under the state law, we cannot hire or retain employees based on our deeply held religious beliefs on pro-life teachings without being subject to disciplinary action.”

Responding to journalists’ questions today, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the Islamabad Memorandum and discussed the Society of St. Pius X’s decision to ordain bishops without a papal mandate.

“Thank God, there is at least this memorandum that they will officially sign on Friday,” Pope Leo said at Castel Gandolfo. “There will still be several points to be established, but it is always better to do so through dialogue, through negotiation, rather than returning to war.”

The Pope expressed his hope that the memorandum is “truly a solution to the war, that the war is really over and that we can move forward for the good of all. Eliminate nuclear weapons, yes, seek the good of all peoples, seek how to solve the problems also at the economic and social level that have been created in this time.”

Addressing a question about the Society of St. Pius X, the Pope said:

We are still considering making another appeal, to say “do not do this, let us try to live in communion in the Church.”’ But it is their choice.

We must realize what it means for them and for the Church. Certainly, division among Christians is always a painful point, but they refuse to accept certain fundamental elements of the Church, starting with various points of the Second Vatican Council. If they make that choice, I am sorry, but we must move forward.

The Pontiff also addressed questions about his apostolic journey to Spain, migrants, his summer plans, and a potential future trip to Mexico and Peru.